May, 1, 2014Coming Soon! Little Dog Brewing Co. (Really)

Coming Soon! No! REALLY!!

Wow. It's been a while and I have lots to report and some great pictures to share. First of all my Kickstarter campaign went live today and I can't believe how much support I've received - I'm already 18% funded! Thanks to everyone who has expressed support, contributed, and shared my info. Here's the link if you want to check it out yourself: Little Dog Brewing Co. on KickstarterSo, where to begin?

Permitting/LicensingOn April 11, 2014 I learned my federal application had been approved by the Tax & Trade Bureau - in less than six weeks! The completed state application (for the actual license) is in the hands of the NJ Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control and I know how busy they are. Everyone has been asking, When do you open?, but that's in the hands of the ABC. I have had a dialogue with someone there, so I'm hoping to be licensed in June? Early July? There are also the local permits associated with the remodeling and the town of Neptune City has been great to deal with. I should also throw in a plug for the Monmouth County Office of Economic Development's "Grow Monmouth" initiative, which has been a huge help during this lengthy process.

These 300-liter (2.5 bbl) German storage tanks are pressure-rated and, after some modifications, will make perfect bright tanks.

The EquipmentAs you know, I purchased Climax Brewing Co.'s first brewing system almost a year ago. Last week, we drove it out to the brewery of an old friend in Pennsylvania to have some modifications made. For one thing, the kettle stack needs to be fitted with a condenser to mitigate any odors from the brewing process. That's the price of being in a residential neighborhood, so that's ok. He'll also do some work on my open fermenters - changing/adding some fittings, for example. We also transported four "new" tanks back to NJ. They're used tanks from a brewery in Germany which I'll use as my "bright" tanks prior to packaging the beer. I still need to pick up a walk-in cold box, small glycol chiller, pumps, hoses, etc. I also need to decide on a bottler - it's going to be pretty basic and semi-automated. Have a couple in mind . . .

The Build Out What fun! So many moving parts - it really could be overwhelming. Luckily, I have a great contractor who has really embraced the project and made it his mission to research and understand how a brewery functions and what its special needs are in regard to plumbing, electric, layout, drainage, etc. We've assembled a great team and things are beginning to come together. Rather than go on and on, I'll let the pictures, below, tell the story. (There's also a video taken in the building on Kickstarter.) More later, Cheers!

Gretchen

Looks a little like an office, doesn't it?

The tasting room begins to take shape . . .

Three openings were created and windows installed.

A few days later. The dug up area is the brewery proper - brewhouse on the left, fermentation and walk in on the right.

. . . and we're almost ready for the viewing window.

Would you believe the last five pictures were all from the same day? Tasting room framed and sheetrocked, doors & windows installed. The floor is the Big Thing, but we're still waiting on our special order trench drains, due in next week.

The old laundromat only had a front door. We needed to add a rear door for deliveries.

Secure, steel rear-entry doors are in place.

Rear view of building, with new doors.

12/15/13A Home for the Little Dog

An envisioning of the Little Dog's new home at 141 Steiner Avenue in Neptune City.

Not quite there yet, but getting closer. Yes, the Little Dog has a home. It's a neglected 1,600 sq foot free-standing building on a street that runs parallel and between Routes 35 and 71 in Neptune City, NJ. The Bradley Beach train station is just four blocks away; it's six blocks to the beach. In my eyes, a perfect location.

Obtaining zoning approval - a "use variance" - for the former laundromat was somewhat of an ordeal; a lengthy, expensive process. We still have the closing to get through and then the fun begins - permitting, building modifications, ordering merchandise and finally, brewing. My fingers are crossed for a late May 2014 opening. A less optimistic brewer friend says I'll be open for the 4th of July.

Artist's rendering - Side view, with hops.

9/21/13 Beer News, Some Pics, GABF and an Update: Has the Little Dog Found a Home?

First the update: I wasn't going to say anything until it's officially official, but all the buzz over East Coast a.k.a. Beach Haus Beer coming to Freedman's in Belmar has made it hard for me to stay quiet. Yes, I have found a great little building, in a great location, in a great little town. Because the deal is contingent on zoning approval, I don't want to dis the Land Use Board by saying too much else, other than it's in the Belmar area. If you read the local papers, you know what's what. Disappointingly, a hearing scheduled for earlier this month was postponed until the end of September. It's true what I've been told - finding a place to set up shop is perhaps the most difficult part of the process. We first stumbled upon this place in the Spring, thanks to a good friend who is a realtor. And here we are two seasons later. Seeking zoning approval is a lengthy, expensive, frustrating process and there are no guarantees. Oh, well. That's the price you pay for wanting to be in a more mainstream location.Meanwhile, I've been busy with brewery planning, including ongoing research. I want the Little Dog to be somewhat German-themed and although I won't have the capacity to do lagers, I'd love to do an altbier and a weiss, in addition to the seasonals I'll have on tap. I've been doing some writing for Brew Your Own magazine and have another related writing deal in the works . . . Lastly, I'll be heading out to Denver in October to once again participate in the Great American Beer Festival's Judging Panel. Last weekend, I finally made it to the Central Jersey Beer Fest in Woodbridge. I even got Kevin to go! Very nice event. Lots of people, but no real lines and the opportunity to speak to the brewers. I saw some old friends (brewers and former customers) and met some new (Brian Boak, at long last!) A rather small selection of breweries, more than half from New Jersey, made it easy to sample everyone's offerings. And it was all for a good cause, too! Here are some pics:

An exciting day! Almost a year after I contracted to buy Dave Hoffmann's original 4-5 bbl brewing equipment it's officially mine. With help from my husband, Kevin, and our good friend and Lake Como neighbor Joe Huber, I finally took possession of the kettle, mash tun, hot liquor tank, four fermenters, and a filter on Saturday, May 4, 20013. Once we had a deal, Dave agreed to store it for me at Climax until the Little Dog found a home. We're getting close, but suffice it to say Kevin and I will be looking at lots of stainless steel in our Westfield garage for a few months, at least.

As I'm known to do, I was up most of the night before worrying about 1. The U-Haul - Did I rent a big enough truck? Would Joe be able to drive it? Were there any low bridges on our route? 2. The Equipment - How would we load it? Unload it? Did we have enough help? Would it arrive safely? Anyway, you get the drift. Not surprisingly, everything went smoothly. I'm nothing if not well-organized despite my occasional freak-outs.

A few words about the system - Dave brewed his signature Climax beers on it before moving up to a larger system, which he bought from the now-defunct Jersey Jim's (remember them?). It served him well; Michael Jackson gave Climax a glowing review for beers he turned out on it. I'm confident it will be a good system for me, too. I'm very happy to have it. It's the right size and look for a Little Dog, don't you think?

Now for the location. Nothing definitive to report, but soon, I hope. I haven't really been looking that long, seriously for the last three to four months or so. Simply put, zoning is a bitch, as most brewers will tell you. That is, of course, unless you want to be in an industrial area that is already appropriately zoned. The problem is, I don't. My vision is to have a small neighborhood brewery in a more retail-friendly environment, in a downtown area or something close to it. It's ironic that when Governor Chris Christie signed the new craft beer legislation into law late last year it was a testament to our industry's contributions to job growth and tourism. Unfortunately, most of the towns breweries could be benefiting don't have zoning ordinances in place to allow them. I served 10 years on the South Belmar/Lake Como Planning Board so I do know what's involved in seeking and getting approval. So, we'll see what happens.

More later!

4/10/13No Time Like the Present -- Yup, Yet Another Brewery-in-Planning for NJ!

I'm a little superstitious about giving out too much information prematurely. Although I've been planning on being a "brewery-in-planning" since I left Basil T's back in 2011, I only talked about it in detail to family, friends and a few trusted colleagues. All of a sudden things seem to be coming together quickly, so I guess it's time to put it out there.

The Little Dog Brewing Co. plans to locate "somewhere" in Monmouth County, but first there are zoning issues to overcome. A brewery is not a business that can open just anywhere. Craftbeer is in the news more and more these days; hopefully all the positive press will influence more towns to embrace our burgeoning industry. Because an actual address is required, once Little Dog finds a home I'll be able to submit the necessary applications to both the Federal TTB and the State ABC.

Meanwhile, I'm in pretty good shape. Financing, check. Perhaps equally important, I already have a cool 4-bbl system with a neat history -- more about that in another post. Four-bbls is pretty small, about half the size of my Basil T's system, but big enough to be out of the nano (3-bbls and under) category. Although it took a couple of tries, I was finally able to show my pragmatic husband, Kevin, a business plan detailing how one could make money producing 200 bbls of beer a year, at least to start. My concept is a little different from some of the other existing and soon-to-be NJ micros. (More on this later.) My mission statement, at least what I declared to the world of Facebook, is to "Provide well-crafted, quality beer to a thirsty public clamoring for tasty, drinkable brews." That means a lot of limited-release seasonals, including classic styles with a twist and an emphasis on German-style ales (my name is Gretchen Schmidhausler, right?) I'm also planning on at least one flagship beer that is a little out of the box. No extreme beers, and although I personally love IPAs, I think there are enough of them already out there. I plan to package in 22-ounce "bomber" bottles and 1-liter growlers .

Lastly, the name. For those of you who groaned when you heard another dog-related brewery name, listen up: I'm not about having dog-themed beers or promoting random dogs in general, although I am crazy about them and currently have three. The Little Dog name was inspired by my first little dog, John Quincy McIver, a smart, funny, scrappy Basenji adopted through a local rescue. The down-and-dirty logo (top) I created for Facebook will serve the purpose for now. I'm working with a former Asbury Park Press colleague, an artist/illustrater, to come up with the right look. My English Setters, Burton and Flora don't seem to mind being left out of the process, as long as they still get their daily walk. While Quincy will be the face of the brewery, I also think of myself as a Little Dog in the larger craftbrewing scene.

I hope to have more to report later this month. Meanwhile, I must continue to nag you to:1. Like Little Dog Brewing Co. on Facebook2. Follow @LittleDogBeer on TwitterThanks &Cheers!Gretchen

1/5/13A Charity Beer Tasting: Good Food & Beer for a Good Cause

Last night I had the pleasure of presenting a food and beer pairing (menu) for some folks in Rumson, NJ. The private tasting for 10 was one of the "prizes" in last summer's auction to benefit CPC Behavioral Healthcare of Monmouth County. I selected six beers and my friends Patti & Arturo Balderas, owners of Tavolo Pronto, a wonderful Italian market and restaurant in Fair Haven, were kind enough to provide the food. More about the pairings in a bit.One of the things I enjoyed most about my job at Basil's was turning people on to good beer -- getting them to try, and like, something they had never had before. It's fun to talk to people who know their beer, but introducing someone to what might become a new favorite beer style is really a blast! I've missed that over the past year. My group last night was great. They were receptive, curious and interested. There was a good age range of people present, and everybody knew at least a little about craftbeer. Plus, they listened to me talk about beer for close to 2 hours. When you do one of these tastings, you can't ask for anything more! Also very cool, fellow brewer and good friend Francesco Barritta was visiting from Italy and came along to help me pour. Frank, who owns Birrificio Cunnegonda (Spilinga, Calabria region) with his brother Pasquale, offered his own insights on the beers and brewing in Southern Italy.

Now, back to the pairings. I always try to include New Jersey beers in my tasting menus. This time, I began with the lightest bodied beer of the group, Cricket Hill's East Coast Lager, paired with a mildly spiced shredded chicken and tortilla chips. I also used Flying Fish's Grand Cru Winter Reserve, a spicy, strong Belgian-style ale paired with pork tenderloin with a sweet balsamic glaze. The third NJ beer was Hoffmann Doppel Bock from Climax, matched with simply but deliciously prepared seared filet mignon. Currently, there's such a large selection of home-grown Garden State brews that I could have easily used all NJ products. But, when I put one of these things together I like to give people an idea of the bigger picture. So, I rounded out the menu with Toasted Lager from Blue Point (NY), Torpedo Extra IPA from Sierra Nevada (CA) and Bourbon County Stout from Goose Island (IL). Ok, so I may get some flak for my last two choices, particularly the latter. Disclaimer: Goose Island is now owned by Anheuser-Busch. If you've been following the recent "Craft vs. Crafty" debate, you know many feel Big Brewing's latest offerings (Shock Top, Blue Moon, etc.) are an attempt to thwart craftbrewers' rising stars and take advantage of an unsuspecting public. Whatever. My reasoning: Most beer novices have never tasted an Imperial Stout, let alone one aged in bourbon barrels.(To them) It's novel yet accessible without being too extreme.If you're interested in reading last night's menu, click here.

November 15, 2012Women Talking About Beer

Cheers to Ginger Johnson, founder of Women Enjoying Beer and host of BeerRadio for having me as a guest last night. For anyone interested in listening to the interview, I will post a link, here, once the show is archived and available. Once we started chatting, I realized there was nothing to be nervous about -- I often tell people I could talk about beer all day if given the chance! Luckily, BeerRadio is an hour-long format so Ginger didn't have to stay up all night listening to me.Ginger's questions were great; she covered all the bases and I hope my responses were engaging enough to keep everyone tuned in. She let me talk quite a bit about GretchenBrew and my plans for the company. Besides the consulting and educational aspects, I do hope to elevate beer's status in NJ with quality publications and other products that promote the love of craftbeer as a serious, not jokey, pursuit.Did anyone count how many times I said "my husband thinks I'm crazy"? That was (mostly) nerves talking. Actually, Kevin understands my commitment to the industry and only thinks I'm a little crazy.Never one to keep a secret for long, I did mention to Ginger that I have an option to buy some commercial brewing equipment. If all goes according to plan, I hope to set up shop somewhere in Monmouth County. Give me about a year? Obviously, more on this subject later . . .

November 12, 2012The Next Chapter: Four Months Later!

My husband, friends, and some former employers will tell you I've always been a bit of a procrastinator. They'll also tell you that I sometimes bite off more than I can chew in terms of personal commitments. So, running for a council seat in my hometown of Lake Como and starting a business? No problem! Anyway. It's been too, too long since I visited this site. Well, the election is over (I received 207 votes, not bad for an Independent in a strongly Democratic town!) and I'm ready to rock n' roll with my blog and with GretchenBrew. I won't try to make up for all the lost time here, just the highlights.

September/October 2012New Legislation, A Project, The GABF & The BCCA

Thanks, Gov!You've all heard by now that Gov. Chris Christie helped NJ's Craftbrewing Industry tremendously when he signed legislation written and sponsored by the Garden State Craftbrewers Guild at the end of September. Effective immediately, the new law allows brewpubs to sell their products at liquor stores and other licensed establishments through distributors and permits microbreweries to sell pints out of a taproom and also sell up to 15.5 gallons of beer retail to individual customers. There's more, but those are the biggies for beer enthusiasts and consumers.Social Media 101I invited my college roommate to the Shore, promising a fun-filled Labor Day Weekend. In reality, I chained Cathy, a marketing wiz, to my laptop for the duration and forced her to set me up with Facebook and Twitter accounts and share all her secrets. Actually, I think she enjoyed it as much as I did, although she was ready to kill me long before I reported on my 100th "Friend." Thanks to Cathy, I was in good shape to begin promoting my calendar, which I hope everyone likes (and buys).

Friends Old & New, Good Beer at the Great American Beer Festival

Although I love NJ, Coloradians are all about their dogs.

I couldn't wait for the 2012 GABF, even though it came at a bad time for me. My hiatus from actively brewing has lasted more than a year and I was itching for conversations about beer, brewing and beer, beer, beer. I was thrilled to be asked to again be on the judges panel (my 6th GABF). It gave me a chance to meet lots of new colleagues, reconnect with old friends, hone my sensory evaluation skills, and yes, save some money on food & lodging. Speaking of old friends, I have a standing date for the Saturday session with former Basil T's brewer Bob Hettmansperger, who now lives in Louisville, CO.If you've never attended a GABF, please put it on your list!

Bagpipers officially open the first session.

Tony Forder (Ale Street News) & Bob Hettmansperger.

The Wynkoop Clydesdales on the 16th Street Mall.

Brewery Collectibles Club of America: What a Great Group of Guys!

I arrived back in New Jersey from Denver on October 14 -- the same day as the Garden State Chaper BCCA's Octoberfest show in Clark. Mike Sella, Basil's current brewer and a good friend, had offered to go sell calendars for me, but ended up sidelined with a bad back. Many thanks to his wife, Kelly, and daughter, Riley, for stepping in to help me out. Kevin picked me up at the airport around 2 p.m. and we hustled over to the hall just in time to say hello and have a beer. What a nice, accomodating group. If you share their interests or just love beer, you should consider joining one of the chapters. The Jersey Shore Chaper held its fall show the following weekend in Milltown, so I had a table there as well.

July 2012My (Beer) Story

I started brewing at home more than 20 years ago. I don't know what it was, but it really grabbed me. Of course, I'd always loved beer. Even as a "kid," my girlfriends and I sought out the "better" beers -- Heinekin Dark, Lowenbrau Dark, Schlitz Dark. (This was long before the craft beers would make their way to NJ. The Canadian imports hadn't even reached us yet. ) When an opportunity arose to work in the homebrew shop at Red Bank Brewing Co, one of New Jersey's first craftbreweries, I didn't hesitate. A year later, the shop had closed and I was the assistant brewer at a fledgling micro.

Cool!

Until I was laid off, that is.

Unfortunately, the brewery closed shortly after that. I realized how much I loved brewing
and vowed to find a way to continue in the industry. Thanks to two dear friends who fronted me the money for brewing school and offered lots of encouragement and support, I was able to attend the American Craftbrewers Guild's Intensive Brewing Apprenticeship Program in Woodland, CA. (Now under the direction of Steve Parks in Vermont.) After a rigorous three-month program, including five weeks of hands-on training at Brew Brothers in Reno, NV, I was ready to offically begin my brewing career.

My first professional job (post-brewing school) was at The Ship Inn in Milford, NJ. It was a great gig -- I learned how to make English-style ales from very nice people (The Hall Family) for their wonderful customers. Due to the long commute (95 minutes), I only stayed there for six months. So, sadly I left The Ship for a job much closer to home at Basil T's in Toms River. When Head Brewer Bob Hettmansperger moved on after I had been there a year, I took over for him at the Red Bank location. Little did I know Basil's would be my home for the next 12 years. Telling my boss, Victor Rallo, Jr. I was leaving was one of the hardest things I've ever done.

That was in August 2011. I've taken the last year off to clear my head, do some writing, and think about my next step. During that time, I've remained active in the brewing community. I've had the honor of judging both the 2011 Great American Beer Festival in Denver and the World Beer Cup in San Diego. I've also become the administrative liaison for the Garden State Craft Brewers Guild. It's a wonderful group of like-minded beer professionals and I'm able to stay in the loop.

In July 2012, I officially formed GretchenBrew LLC. I'll keep you posted on the next chapter . . .